A method and manufacture for memory device fabrication is provided. In one embodiment, at least one oxide-nitride spacer is formed as follows. An oxide layer is deposited over a flash memory device such that the deposited oxide layer is at least 250 Angstroms thick. The flash memory device includes a substrate and dense array of word line gates with gaps between each of the word lines gate in the dense array. Also, the deposited oxide layer is deposited such that it completely gap-fills the gaps between the word line gates of the dense array of word line gates. Next, a nitride layer is depositing over the oxide layer. Then, the nitride layer is etched until the at least a portion of the oxide layer is exposed. Next, the oxide layer is etched until at least a portion of the substrate is exposed.